Carpological remains recovered in three Medieval Islamic storage pits at Largo dos Lóios (Lisbon, Portugal)

Abstract

This paper aims to present the study of carpological remains based on the archaeological excavation of five storage pits from the islamic period in Largo dos Loios (Lisbon). These five storage pits where highly destroyed during modern and contemporary ages, more than half of which have not been preserved. Although we do not know the chronological order of their construction and use, the artefactual remains related to the abandonment of their primary function, as a place to store food, and further use as a waste disposal have made it possible to understand their abandonment between the end of the 10th century and the middle of the 12th century. Inside two of these storage pits, a significant quantity of carpological remains were recovered and studied by the HERCULES Laboratory, which allow us to unveil an important part of the diet of these populations, where fruits and cereals played a prominent role.